Invariably Parisian weather cools down during November. Fortunately for international photographers, afficionados and experts this year not only does Paris Photo fair which runs from November 13-16.), but also the Month of Photography warm their spirits.

There is even an alternative Mois de la Photo Off with about 100 exhibitors. Enough to make anyone close their eyes due to over-exposure. Besides these events, for those seriously involved in the actual process of photography, the Salon de la Photo from November 13-17 presents the latest in technology from cameras to printing.

The 15th edition of the biannual Month of Photographyactually stretching from before and after November -- focuses on European Photography between Tradition and Mutation, while the guest of honor at Paris Photo fair is Japan.

Curator in charge, Jean-Luc Monterosso, said "...the notion of Europe is being Obroadened1, the theme of this Month of Photography explores the process of enlargening horizons and of experimentation with new technologies which contribute to redefining avant-garde movements."

Many museums decided to illustrate historical movements of photography, while most cultural centers chose collective or personal exhibitions of photographers to underline aspects of contemporary photography from documentary, architecture, photoreportage or even video, and also covers work since the 1930s.

A visit to one gallery led to perplexity as the Danish artist visible on several video screens and paintings did not seem to be a photographer; a marked contrast to the down-to-earth reportage of Sipahioglu (founder of famed Sipa agency) at the Maison de la Photographie for example. However this only illustrates the wide range of what is termed photography today.

Despite occasional bemusement, photography now attracts powerful sponsorship as it is firmly established. Auctioneer P.C. de Saint Cyr said,"Today, one knows that it is not the instrument that produces the work, it is the artist! Photography is the art of the 21st century."

A pioneer institution is the bank HSBC which donates 300,000 Euros yearly to promote photography. Names like Gursky or Richard Prince evoke prices around US$2 million.

Paris Photo at the Carrousel du Louvre includes 85 galleries and 21 publishers from 18 countries. Here all photography is for sale, not only on show like the majority of Month of Photography exhibits.

Many photographers like Andreas Lang from Munich come to network as well as to see the latest and past greats of photography. "I actually also have an appointment with a gallery to show my portfolio in view of an exhibition," Lang said.

One curiosity, a vintage print of Le Grey1s studio in Cairo is up for sale at Lumiere des Roses for 50,000 Euros among other vintage photography at the fair, but there is also a plethora of modern prints available besides rare photo-books.

At British Bernard Quatrich, there were several vintage prints of the Dutch Indies by Woodbury and Page available around *800, as well as 1930s prints of Balinese dancers by Japanese Satake S already sold for *580.

There are 32 new galleries in all. As always the United States leads with 19 galleries before the 17 French ones. Japan is represented by 14, while Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom each sent seven galleries. Then follows the Netherlands with three, Italy with two and one each for South Africa, Austria, China, South Korea, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, as well as newcomers, Australia and India. One can admire the work of 500 photographers on display.

American Howard Greenberg, who has contributed greatly to promoting photography as a collectible and who is a member of the selection committee, showed beautiful vintage prints of Japanese photographers. Shoji Ueda's self-portrait with a gorilla mask, a 1975 silver gelatin print, went for $18,000, while two Hosoes were ink-printed on special silk paper like Japanese traditional scroll paintings. One was actually a breath-taking four piece folding screen rendering of rice-fields snapped up by a Swiss collector for $35,000.

China's 798 photo gallery featured Yaolu, a very painterly photographer who uses collages and whose large prints at 6,000 Euros sold in a flash.

Collector Janette Daneil was one of the lucky ones who bought two smaller prints. However probably Hamiltons from London had the most expensive print for sale, a Irving Penn print of Picasso at $500,000, while an Ansel Adam landscape went for $450,000 at Robert Klein of New York. A Laslo Mohogly-Nagy print was up elsewhere for 54,000 Euros and the Otto Steinert print of the view from the Eifel Tower sold for 66,000 Euros at Kicken Gallery from Berlin.

Emphasis of this year's event is on Japanese photography this year, the first Asian country to adopt photography since the 1850s. Artistic director of Paris Photo, Guillaume Piens, explained that it took over two years to prepare the liaison with Japanese photographers, art galleries and publishing houses.

Japan still leads in diversity and originality from the rare vintage photography of the Meiji era through the avant-garde expressionism in the 1930s, the reportage of the 1950s and the explosion of contemporary photography in the last decade of the 20th century.

Here 80 photographic creators were present from Eikoh Hosoe, Shojei Ueda, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Araki or Moriyama to name but a few. Priska Pasquer of Cologne also featured the aquatic wonders of Asako Narahashi who takes photos with a waterproof camera but just above the waterline. She, as well as Michael Hoppen of London, featured Shomei Tomatsu. Meanwhile Eric Franck is the sole representative of the Kichi Asano estate in Europe with vintage prints around 15.000 Euros. Sotheby's auctioned the last section of Marie-Therese and Andre Jammes' collection of photography on Saturday while international collectors were still in Paris. One print of Jean Baptiste Louis Gros was estimated at 120,000 Euros.

Paris Photo also looks to the future, with two major photo prizes to be won. One sponsored by SFR mobile telephones awards young photographers the chance to be shown at Paris Photo, while BMW actually exhibits the prints chosen and also awards the prize-winner 12,000 Euros. This year the lucky winner was Yaolu.

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